{Funny thing...}

Almost daily I think of something to make a post about.  Daily I forget to make said post. So, one thing I've wanted to make a post about is my monthly 5k races. I am still running in them. I even bought the next 5 months worth of registrations. The only thing that makes that scary is my work schedule. My work schedule is so crazy, but known, that I scheduled these races on days I know I have off. If a race day changes (like this months), it could definitely throw a kink in things since it seems like for the rest of the year I'm working most weekends.

Anyway, so on to my previous races! I don't think I spoke about May, June, or July's races. May was the Drop Your Drawers and Run Wild 5k. This race benefits kids in need getting underwear. For instance, they sent a whole bunch of underwear to Oklahoma after the huge tornado. This run was at what's become my favorite race park, City Park and afterwards there was a private after party at the Denver Zoo with 2 drink tickets (beer or wine). I had some pink ruffled panties I'd bought for a Halloween costume one year so I wore those over my running pants and an awesome tank-top my parents bought me for my birthday (an early b-day present).

 

Seriously, the green man photo is positively my favorite!

June was a 5k race in Estes Park, Colorado. This is an absolutely beautiful place to run but terrible to do so because of the elevation. I've become use to running here in Aurora at 5,471 ft above sea level. As use to it as you can get anyway. The beginning elevation for the Estes Park 5k is 7,522 ft above sea level! While it may not seem like much of a difference, and I naively thought this as well, it was terrible. When I began running I immediately felt it. To top it all off we gained about 100 feet in elevation in the first mile and a half. I have no problems admitting I walked most of the first 1.5 miles of this race. The nice thing though is the last 1.5 miles were ALL downhill...steeply downhill but that part was nice.

The Stanley Hotel
(The inspiration for the book/movie The Shining by Stephen King.
The TV series was filmed here also.)

The Stanley is the white building on the left side of the photo

The view of of the Rockies on my drive to Estes Park, Colorado

If anyone ever gets a chance to visit Estes Park, CO and Rocky Mountain National Park, I highly recommend it. It's positively beautiful. I can only hope that I'll never run a race in higher elevation again! haha!

July's race was terrible. It was the Firefly Run and was supposed to be on a Saturday night at City Park (my favorite park to run a race in). The Firefly is a night run with glow stick goods and good music and parties and all that jazz.  It was moved though to Friday night at Dick's Sporting Goods Park. Luckily, Friday night worked with my work schedule. The picture of the running route at Dick's did not look promising though. It looked like it was through a lot of parking lot. I tried to keep an open mind though. Oh, we had to pay $5 for parking also! So far, all of my races have had street parking or free parking.  Well, I get there and the pre-race party seemed fun enough. I was by myself though (as I am for all my races but one so far) and I'm a shy person so there's only so much fun that can be had!  The race began and it was entirely through the parking lots of Dick's Sporting Goods Park. Entire. Race. After 1.5 miles the ankle I had surgery on a few years ago began hurting. It occasionally hurts me but usually stops after a little bit. This time, however, it did not stop. I'm pretty sure I began overcompensating for it because then my hip on the same side began hurting. Really bad. It was terrible and the most pain I've ever been in while running. I did stop to walk to kind of walk out the pain but walking just seemed to make it worse. I didn't stick around afterwards for the post- race party. I was in too much pain and not happy with just having ran around the parking lot I had to pay an extra $5 to park my car in.

I can only hope none of my races get moved to this location again because I just won't run it.

These are my next 5 races:

August

September

October

November - Color Run

December

Ok. Whew. What a long post! Sorry guys, it's what I get for waiting so long to post!

{Suicide}

This is a touchy subject but one I feel like I have to talk about right now.

An acquaintance of mine has taken her own life. I didn't know her well but hung out with her a time or two. She's the second person I know to take their own life and it makes me so incredibly sad but mostly angry.  How dare you put the people you love through this? Do you even know it's almost always your loved ones who have to find your body? Clean-up your mess? Get through their own life wondering why? They have to GET through their life without you. They have to survive the emotional trauma you have put them through. They have to wonder for the rest of their lives if there is just one thing they could have done to help you get through your own emotional black hole.

I've suffered through depression. It's not something I've ever sought help on but maybe I should. I NEVER want to put my loved ones through this though. When I do go into my own depressive black hole I help climb myself out of it by thinking of my loved ones. It's not anything I'd ever write about on here but my personal, hand-written journal gets to bear the brunt of those emotions. I think about my niece, who is more precious to me than anything. She's so incredibly young also that I could not even begin to think of what ending my own life would do to her, especially since we have such a close bond.

Seeing the after-effects of two people I know end their own life, it's just selfish. If you really knew what you put your loved ones through and could see just how much they love you and care about you, I'd bet anything you would think twice about ending your own life.

{A short update}

Sooo, the little thing with the boy definitely did not last.

I thought I'd want to come crawling back to the 'ole blogger but, well, I don't.

I've no regrets about anything but his lack of honesty.

Ah, well.

{Operation Red Bikini comes to an end}

Operation Red Bikini began back in December 2012.

 I wasn't too much of a blog regular back then and only really got into it in January.

December though is when I decided enough was enough.

I took our family photographs for Christmas and really saw the weight gain in myself then.

Once I got back home from my Christmas trip, I decided enough was enough. I would start going to the gym more and I would begin eating better. I researched the internet for workouts and eating plans and that's when I came across Kassie's Southern Girl Gets Fit blog and, therefore, Operation Red Bikini.

Even though they'd already began almost a month before me, I still committed myself to joining also!

My comment with my goal was this, 

NicoleJanuary 2, 2013 at 7:09 PM

I am absolutely in! My goal is to (ultimately) lose 20lbs. I think that's pretty doable by May. Another goal for this YEAR is to run one 5k race each month. I hate running but that seems to be making me even more determined to do this.

My weight at the time was 155/156 pounds. 

I'm not sure exactly because I later found out my scale is off by 2-3 pounds.
I already had a swimsuit I wanted to look hot in but didn't start taking those photographs until February.
I also bought myself a goal outfit.

I couldn't even button the pants up and the shirt extenuates every fat roll I possible could have.
I was not a happy camper.
It was all my own fault though.
I let myself get this far.
I was going to do something about it though.

My other goal listed for O.R.B. was to run one 5k race a month for 12 months.
I actually made this goal back in December but what better way to verbalize it than to list it for this goal also?
January 19 was my first 5k race.
I was terribly slow but I did it.
I'm still doing it.
In fact, I have race #5 today.

I never thought running could make me feel the way I do.
I actually enjoy running.
I get goosebumps.
I get goosebumps when working out too.
I absolutely love it.

Here are some more progress photo's and then I'll talk about where I am today.

Feb 23, 2103

It seems as though I didn't take any progress photographs in April.

I just didn't think about it.

This one was taken in April though.

So, on to today, May 31, 2013...

Today I weigh 143 pounds.

I've lost a total of 12-13 pounds.

I, personally, do not see that as a lot of weight given the timeframe.

It's also 7-8 pounds shy of my 20lb weightloss goal.

However.

I am okay with that.

I feel so much better today than I did 6 months ago.

I have so much more energy now.

My clothes fit better now, most are too big.

I can see a difference in my body today than I did 6 months ago.

I also stopped caring about my scale weight because of those reasons listed.

Weighing myself got to be so entirely depressing.

I was doing so much hard work and barely seeing a difference in the scale.

I hated the way it made me feel even though I knew how much I worked out and ate better.

I mean, I can button my goal pants now and look good in them.

I couldn't do that 5 months ago.

December 2012 on the left.  May 2013 on the right.

Am I done?

No, I don't quite think so.

There's still some toning up I'd like to do and I'd still like to find what works best for me food-wise.

I am happy though.

{Tired of being tired}

Today's my first day off and I am exhausted.

I worked the last 2 nights (and 2 days before that) and I've gotten the worst sleep this week.

Other than that, things are going great.

Yesterday, while getting ready for work, I didn't pay any attention to the bluejeans I grabbed from my closet.

As I was putting them on I felt disgusted because I'd grabbed a pair of jeans that haven't fit me, like at all, in over a year. But, I decided to try them anyway. They fit! And, they fit perfectly. This situation is exactly why I stopped weighing myself. I would drive myself crazy! So, I actually did weigh myself yesterday and I still weigh 145, which is a pound less than I did a month ago. Yet, these jeans fit me better today than they did a month ago. It makes me extremely happy.

What was nice also was two co-workers asking me last night how much weight I've lost now because I looked so much thinner. It's the small things. :)

Here are some of my latest workouts I've completed:

So, with this leg workout... I did this 2 days ago and I am still in a lot of muscle soreness pain. It's definitely a good workout!!

I tried to make-up for my lack of sleep by pretty much sleeping, or tying to, all day.

To not feel like such a degenerate, I took the dog on a walk and got in some pretty good pictures.

Just a few...  :)

{Does that mean it's official?}

What a lazy, lazy day today is.

The only thing I've done all day, that is any way productive, is hit the gym.

I went there so tired but had a great workout anyway.

It was a back and cardio workout.

While on the elliptical, I reached up to adjust my playlist on the phone and accidently hit the 'reset' button!

That tank top I'm wearing is pretty sweet.

"Ready. Steady. Win." From the Etsy shop of Strong Confident You.

It was an early birthday present from my parents.

The first birthday present I've received in years! haha

What did I do once I got home?

Oh, I had the most glorious nap ever.

Guess what though! 

I'm still tired.

I know it's because I took allergy medicine last night and a unisom.

Ha, no worries, they weren't taken at the same time, but I'm still tired from them.

So, with the guy I've been seeing...

We had a talk the other night and he's said he wants US to work.

We'll see how it all goes.

I want it to work as well.

He's pretty freaking amazing.

{Weigh-in Wednesday}

A week after shark week ended and I feel great.

144.4lbs

I like it.

As I was getting dressed to go run, I passed my full length mirror in my sports bra and underwear and I liked what I saw.

So, I put on a pair of swimsuit bottoms and took a picture. 

What? You don't do the same?! ;)

I also ran for the first time in over a week today.

It felt great.

I gave the compression sleeves a try.

I felt very slow in them.

I'm not sure if that's because it's been more than a week since I last ran or if it was because of the sleeves.

Either way, I liked them. Other than the slow running, I felt great.

I'll continue to use them.

Yesterday, I also made a Thai Peanut Salad.

Oh. My. Word.

Amazeballs.

This salad is so good and the dressing is what makes it.

Here's the recipe for the Thai Peanut Salad.

Best. Ever.